Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey Stuff
by blue artemis
Summary: Hermione gets the chance of a lifetime... to travel with the Doctor.
1. Chapter 1

Hermione was home alone again. Her parents trusted her to be good, even if she was only nine years old. She was far too sensible to be scared by most things, seeing as they could be explained easily. Owls and other night animals made noises, homes creaked because of a change of temperature, and really, very little happened that didn't have a logical cause. However, this very bright light and the loud sonic whirring were not easily explainable. She charged outside, her father's rugby helmet on her head and holding a cricket bat.

The oddly handsome man in the brown suit was obviously amused, as was the very attractive soldier in the army uniform and the curvaceous blonde woman in jeans.

"Are you all right, little one? We didn't scare you, did we?" The army man came a wee bit too close and Hermione took a swing at him.

"Ooh, she's a pip. Good on you, Curly. Captain Jack isn't to be messed with." The blonde giggled.

The man in the brown suit came closer and studied Hermione as closely as she studied him. "You'll be there when I need you, won't you?"

Something in his eyes touched something deep in Hermione. She didn't even have to think about it. "Yes. Yes, I will."

Hermione looked particularly beautiful the day of the ball. But her companion in the rose garden was not at all the one everyone expected. "Why is he wearing your face, Doctor? My heart almost stopped!"

The Doctor reached his hand out. His face betrayed even more sadness. "It is one of those quirks of fate, love. Don't hold it against him. He has enough madness in his life."

Hermione turned her back and tucked her arms around herself, as though she were shielding herself from the world.

"It's hard, Doctor. I miss you, you know. These boys, they try, but they don't really see me. You are the only one who ever has." A tear rolled down her cheek as she said that. She knew he held her heart, whether he liked it or not.

Against his better judgement, the Tenth Doctor pulled Hermione close. There was just something about the girl that called to him. He hadn't felt this type of yearning in years. He heard a muffled giggle. "What? Why am I funny?"

"You have two hearts, don't you? I can hear them both beating." Hermione gazed up at him in challenge, but with a smile on her face.

"You, my darling, are far too smart for your own good." Suddenly, he cocked his head, as though he heard something. "Time to go."

"You'll come back for me, won't you?" Hermione reached out, suddenly plaintive.

"I'm going to need you more than you know, my darling. I will be back; I promise." He winked at her, snapped his braces and hopped into the police box.

Hermione waved. Something undefinable tickled her memory. She went with her instinct, just as she had every time she saw him. "Bye, sweetie!"

That was all it took for the Doctor to look extraordinarily surprised. He started to jump out of the TARDIS, when a feminine hand pulled him back. With a swirl of light and sound the whole thing disappeared.

"Miss Granger, I hope you understand just how dangerous that particular acquaintance can be," said Professor Snape.

"Is he any more dangerous than any of my other acquaintances, Professor?" Hermione looked up at him with the same humor and challenge she had offered the Time Lord.

Severus Snape stared at her for a moment, then quirked his lips upward in what might – with some imagination – be called a smile. "I imagine not, Miss Granger. Now, you better get back inside before you are missed."

River Song was in the home furnished for her on the simulated earth world created for those whose consciousness was preserved by CAL. She sat at the kitchen table, sipping on tea. She had been telling the children of her adventures when she heard footsteps. "When you run with the Doctor," she said, "it feels like it will never end. Everybody knows that everybody dies, but not every day. Not today. Don't you find that comforting, Dr. Moon?" She looked up from her cup of tea.

"Charlotte is asleep, then, River?" Dr. Moon's soothing voice grated across River's nerves.

"Yes, and the other children as well."

He sat across the table from her and gazed at her through the round frames of his glasses. Steepling his hands, he took a deep breath. "I can send you back. Charlotte wanted the comfort of a mother, so she let you put her to bed; but we ican/i send you back. There will be some differences, though." His smirk made her want to both slap and kiss him.

"Tell me more," she said, leaning in.

"When you regenerated in New York, a huge amount of energy was released. Based on what we can tell, the Doctor has changed something fundamental in the fabric of the universe. Somehow you didn't use up all the energy. There is, for lack of a better word, some extra at that first site. We can siphon enough to regenerate you again, but it will be in a very similar form," he said. Now he had her complete attention.

"And where will I go?" she asked, eyes alight, cocking her head thoughtfully.

"In that time period, Hermann Lux has a friend – a dentist. He and his wife cannot have children. I believe we can place you there." He gazed at her from behind his glasses.

"Do it," she ordered. She stood and started to pace, her white dress flowing after her. "Do it!"

She had chosen the name Hermione. "A Winter's Tale" was one of her all time favorite Shakespeare plays. The Grangers were happy to take her in, accepting help from Dr. Moon to "remember" that they had a daughter. A daughter too smart for her own good, who had a hard time fitting in. Hermione knew she couldn't harm those around her, so she allowed herself to be bullied. Something in the back of her mind always told her that she was special.

Shortly after her miraculous third regeneration, she saw the Doctor for what to this incarnation was the first time. And for the second time, the man in the police box stole her heart and touched her soul.


	2. Chapter 2

"There they are!" The Doctor pointed toward the lake, deep in the Forest of Dean.

"Thank you. I will take it from here," said Severus, not realizing the man had already wandered off. The boys didn't interest him in the least.

Her beautiful face haunted him, and he didn't quite understand why. All he knew was that she had to survive this adventure, or he would be missing something essential. He left quickly once she started toward the edge of her wards, not wanting her to see him this time. He did leave a packet of food and other necessities, figuring they would attribute it to the man who was planting the sword.

He was right.

* * *

Hermione came home after the war ended, weary, wondering what to do about her parents. She had asked Dr. Moon to help them forget they ever had a daughter. Her friends she told she had Obliviated them. Her parents hadn't gone to Australia. They had moved to Southern France, where they had a nice cottage very close to the Malfoys. She figured hiding in plain sight was best.

Wandering through the abandoned rooms of her childhood home, she was distraught, feeling lonely for the first time in months. Walking through the kitchen for the third them she noticed the note on the fridge, under the police box magnet.

_Darling,_

_I need you now. Please come outside._

_The Doctor_

She ran outside, just in time to see the arrival of the now familiar blue box. The man who stepped out looked younger, not much older than she was herself at nineteen. The look in his eye, though, was devastating.

"I'm here," she said simply, holding out her hand.

He took it and pulled her inside the magical blue box.

"It's bigger on the inside!" she exclaimed, making him grin.

"That's what everyone says the first time. Welcome home," he said, hope in his weary eyes.

"What's wrong, Doctor?" she asked, her eyes searching, looking for an injury she would never be able to see.

"They left me. I never thought Amy would, to tell the truth, but for all that she loved me, she loved Rory more," he said, sitting abruptly in a chair that just appeared, putting his head into his hands. "They and River told me I couldn't be alone anymore, and they are right. I do bad things when I'm alone. But even River had to go, you know? We are ships, passing in the night, no more, no less. She told me to come get you, because it would become clearer, but I still don't understand."

"Spoilers," she said.

He stood abruptly and hurried over to her. He took her face gently into his hands. "How do you _do_ that? You aren't my River, are you?"

"I–I–I'm not sure. Sometimes, though, I just seem to know what to say to get you to react. Maybe this is what she meant?" Hermione looked hopeful. She certainly didn't want to leave.

"Perhaps." He bounced away again, the idea making him happy in ways he certainly didn't understand. "I feel we must tell Brian, though. That Amy and Rory won't be returning."

"Of course," she said. She didn't really comprehend any of it, but she figured she would in time. After all, she certainly loved to learn. And this adventure felt like fun.

She looked out the window of the TARDIS. "Are we traveling through space?"

"Time and space, darling. Fun, isn't it?" He beamed.

A wide grin split Hermione's face. "Oh, yes. Most definitely."

The console beeped. "Ah, here we are. Rory and Amy's home. And Brian is watering the plants. This won't be easy. He thought they would be returning."

"Should I stay in here?" Hermione asked.

"No. I really think you should come with me," he said.

He took her hand after they landed and led her to the back door of a lovely two-story home. The Doctor stuck his hand in his pocket took out a key and let himself in. "Brian!"

A man walked toward them, surprising Hermione. "Mr. Weasley!"

"No, dear. I'm Mr. Williams. Maybe you are mistaken?" the man asked affably.

"You look just like him! I think I need tea," she said and sat on the big leather sofa under the window in the spacious living room..

The man bent down to peer closer at her. He seemed to ponder for a bit, then he asked, "Where are those Weasleys from?"

"Ottery St. Catchpole," Hermione replied.

"You wouldn't happen to have a little wooden stick that does wondrous things, do you?" Brian squinted and looked at her as though he were trying to find her wand.

"You mean a wand?" she asked, pulling hers out and waving it.

"Yes, exactly that." Brian looked pleased with himself. "What would you say if I were to tell you that Arthur Weasley was my twin? Unfortunately, I'm not magical at all. But then, the Williams branch of the Weasley family has never been. We came originally from Westley, hence Weasley, and we have quite a few Williams in the family, hence the Williams."

"Arthur's oldest is named William," Hermione replied with a smile.

"My boy was Rory. And if what the gentleman who left here a few days ago was right... Well." He looked thoughtful. "I have a letter for you, if you are Hermione Granger."

"I am," she said, sitting straighter.

He walked away through the door leading deeper into the house, presumably to the kitchen, then fetched the letter, which he handed to her.

_Dearest Melody,_

_At the moment, you are Hermione Granger. Stay Hermione Granger as long as he lets you. He will figure it out, and you will, once again, be River._

_Melody Pond was conceived in the TARDIS and had similar regenerative power to The Doctor. She sacrificed herself to save him, her husband, after living their lives apart due to the vagaries of time._

_At some point he erased himself from history, only coming back to save the world yet again. But by doing so, he changed things. He changed things even he hasn't realized._

_We saw the regeneration happen, but Dr. Moon helped keep it a secret from him._

_You will find bits and pieces of your life bleeding through. Again, the vagaries of time. You will know just what to say to get him to react. Keep it up._

_We couldn't stay, but we knew you would be there for him._

_I had to leave, but I'm so very glad to get the chance to spend so much time with him, young. You will find he doesn't really like to see the progression of time._

_Be good, darling._

_Not so good you can't have fun..._

_Mum, Dad and River_

The letter was delightful to read for Hermione after feeling so lost and alone. The handwriting kept shifting, so it was easy for her to figure out who had written what part. She was good at keeping secrets, and this did explain her affinity for the Time-Turner. She giggled, wondering what The Doctor would make of a Time-Turner.

"What?" The Doctor said, trying to unobtrusively read over her shoulder, which would have been hard for a cat, and was quite impossible for a man.

"I wonder what you would make of a Time-Turner," she said.

"No, the letter! Time-Turners are finite, and I believe you and the boys managed to destroy most of them," he said, clearly exasperated.

"Na-ah-ah!" She wagged a finger at him. "Spoilers."

Brian shook his head, then gave Hermione a big hug. "Nice to know I had a granddaughter at Hogwarts," he whispered in her ear.

"I'm glad to know I have a Grandda I can visit on occasion," she replied, her words muffled by his shoulder.

"Yes, please do," he said and, realizing that The Doctor had another place he would rather be, shooed them out the door.

Hermione and The Doctor turned to each other after they closed the door on the TARDIS and it had begun to swirl off into space. "Thank you," they said simultaneously. They laughed at the coincidence. "Jinx!"

Hermione sat next to him on the couch he led her to. "Where are we going?"

"How would you like to see the birth of a planet?" he asked, after considering her question for a bit.

She grinned in response. "Are you going to show me how to fly this thing?"


	3. Chapter 3

He stared at her. The request to teach her to drive the TARDIS jolted his memory. He pulled her up and almost dragged her to the console.

Hermione smiled as he placed her hands on the keyboard and the – she wasn't sure what to call it – joy stick? Gear shift? Torpedo launcher? He pressed in rather close to explain how the thing worked, and to guide her hands. Going with her instincts again, she pressed back against him and wiggled a bit.

Behind her, the Doctor took a deep breath. He closed his eyes, thinking of whatever he could so he wouldn't get a rather normal biological reaction to having a beautiful girl in his arms. "Hermione, I–"

She turned and placed her fingers against his lips. "Don't worry. I won't ask for anything more than you can give."

He nodded gratefully.

She winked. "But I do expect a lot from you."

He pounded his fist on his chest.

"Something wrong with one of your hearts, sweetie?" Hermione raised an eyebrow.

The Doctor coughed, then ran off, downstairs to the pool he had installed for Rory and Amy.

She heard the splash and laughed. "I guess he needed to cool off."

"What have you done up here?" He looked around.

"Just some sprucing up. Don't you like it?" she asked.

"I didn't think you'd be able to, the TARDIS is a bit temperamental when it comes to trying to redecorate," he said.

"She and I have an understanding. And she says my magic is compatible, whatever that means. I haven't fried any circuits, so I'm going to trust she knows what she's talking about." Hermione said, absently waving her wand.

He smiled. "I know where we are going!" He bounded to the console and started pushing buttons.

"I thought we were heading to the birth of a planet?"

"Those happen all the time. We can find the next one. But I think you will love this," he said.

* * *

_Hermione __is __running __for __her __life__, __heading __for __the __camouflaged __TARDIS __located __near __a __dragon__'__s __cave__. __Luckily __for __her__, __the __dragon __is __elsewhere__._

"_C__'__mon__, __Hermione__, __you __can __make __it__!" __yells __the __young __man __in __the __bow__tie__._

"_If __I __do __make __it__, __you __are __going __to __pay__, __Sweetie__!" __she __hollers __back__, __panting__._

_Just __as __the __horde __of __torch__-__wielding __maniacs __gets __close __enough __to __snare __her __in __their __sphere __of __magic__, __she __reaches __the __door __to __the __time __machine__, __held __open __by __The __Doctor __who __has __a __grin __on __his __face__._

_He __pulls __her __in__, __and __they __shut __the __door__. __The __magic __users __on __the __planet __are __unable __to __overcome __the __technology __of __the __Time__-__Lord__._

_The __couple__s whirl __back __into __space__, __adrenaline __rushing __through __their __veins __at __their __close __escape__._

_The __Doctor __puts __his __arms __around __Hermione __and __hugs __her__, __and __she __looks __up __and__, __pulling __his __head __down__, __gives __him __a __kiss__. __  
_

* * *

The TARDIS landed on a verdant hill, on a world that did not smell at all of coal or gas or any other pollutant. However there was a dragon in the cave a few hundred feet away. When it only gazed at them and sniffed at the air, they decided it wasn't a danger.

"Where are we, Doctor?" Hermione asked, looking around in wonder.

"This world is called Magica. It is said to have been founded by the direct descendants of the magic users on the Earth, you know," he said, rubbing his hands in anticipation.

"Then when are we?" she asked in reply.

"Thirtieth century or so," he said, as he started walking toward the tower of the city he saw in the distance.

Looking around, she decided following him was the best option. So she grabbed her little beaded bag and headed off after him.

Shortly they arrived at the gates of the town, where he flashed his psychic paper to verify his identity as "Erik Weiss" and Hermione's as his wife, "Elizabeth."

Hermione quirked her mouth at the names. Smiling lovingly up at her "husband" went along with the charade.

They were directed to an inn, and headed there to let some rooms for a week.

"A whole week, Sweetie?" Hermione asked.

"At the very least, darling. But we may want to see more of this lovely place after that. We can move on then," he said, placing his hand in the small of her back to move her along.

They walked past an older woman who was fiddling with an ornate compact mirror.

"Did she just talk into that thing?" asked Hermione.

"Does it matter?" replied The Doctor.

Hermione grinned up at him. "I guess not."

Hermione and the Doctor were shown up to their rooms. Hermione was delighted with the rich fabrics and four poster bed which seemed a bit out of place with the sleek furniture which would have been right at home in an episode of that old Star Trek show her father would watch on occasion.

"Let's go look around, love," said The Doctor.

"Definitely!" Hermione responded enthusiastically.

As they walked into the town, Hermione was amused. It looked like someone crossed Diagon Alley with Harrods and a boot sale. Caught up in the delight of being on a completely new planet, Hermione failed to realize there was no wand shop. The lack should have given her some sort of warning, but she was so relaxed in the presence of The Doctor that she didn't give the ilack/i of a certain type of store much thought.

They walked into the first bookshop they saw, where Hermione added quite a few titles that The Doctor said wouldn't be be spoilery to her little beaded bag. No one seemed to think that unusual; there were quite a few items with undetectable extension charms on them.

After wandering in and out of a few clothing stores, the last one, where the clothing was bespoke, was fantastic. Hermione fell in love with supple leather pants made of dragon hide. After negotiating a price, she bought a couple of pairs. They were a lovely ivory color. She also got some boots and some soft shirts.

The Doctor seemed pleased to buy presents for her. He certainly enjoyed making her try things on and show them off to him. For example a beautiful, low cut gown that looked like a more adult version of her Yule Ball gown that she tried on and put back.

They left the shop, both of them satisfied with the day's shopping.

When it was time for dinner, all hell broke loose.

They had just sat down to eat, choosing their food by tapping the relevant item on the menu. Only Hermione used her wand.

The whispers started the second one of the other guests saw her do that. He told his companion, who told the headwaiter. From there news snowballed.

The older woman Hermione had seen fiddling with her mirror in the hotel lobby swept into the restaurant just as they finished dessert. She walked right up to the table, pointed at Hermione and said, "Child of Prophecy, you must come with me."


	4. Chapter 4

"Child of wh—" Hermione started. But before she could finish her question, two large, silent men materialized out of nothing. They dragged her from her seat, forcing her to follow the imperious old woman.

They kept her separated from The Doctor who kept following them, hopping up and down to try to see her over the hulks. He pulled out his sonic screwdriver and aimed it at them. All it did was make one of the men point a finger at him and say _Silencio_. The screwdriver stopped lighting up.

They reached an imposing old house at the end of a dark street. The woman swept in, followed by Hermione and the men. The door shut itself before the Doctor could enter.

"So, Hermione Granger, it is about time you appear on this world," said the woman.

"I'm n–" Hermione started to say.

"Do not deny it," the old woman interrupted. "I have the histories. I have the _photos_. I am the Archivist of this world, and I _know_ who you are." The woman practically hissed at her.

The Archivist's angry face reminded Hermione so much of Bellatrix Lestrange that she backed away in fear. "What do you want from me?"

"The prophecy states: _She will come. From the past and the future and forever. She will teach what was lost and return what we need. Those who cannot will. She will come with the past and the future and forever._ This is you. And you will teach us how to make wands," the woman ordered.

"I don't know anything of wandlore!" Hermione said. "All I did was talk a bit to Mr. Ollivander when we were stuck at Shell Cottage. I did get some books, but I don't have any talent for it! Harry did, but he isn't here. And he is your Child of Prophecy. I'm not." Hermione managed not to say 'so there!' and blow a raspberry at the woman, but it was a close thing. Something about the woman brought out the worst in her. Or maybe it was being told that she was a child of prophecy. _Now __I __know __how __Harry __felt__. __This __isn__'__t __any __fun__.__  
_

The woman turned to her hulking side kicks and motioned them away. "You said you had books?"

"Yes, here," Hermione said, gesturing to her bag.

The woman shook her hands, basically telling her to get on with it. She was lucky she didn't get hexed, but Hermione was worried that anything she did wrong would get The Doctor into trouble. She didn't want that to happen.

The Doctor was pacing in front of the TARDIS. "A little romantic fun in a place founded by her kind should have been a good thing! But no, that couldn't happen, could it?"

He had been talking to himself, so he was a bit startled to be answered by a puff of smoke and a small ball of fire. The dragon in the cave next to where they had landed had been following his pacing and decided to answer.

"Really? You think I should just go back? And do what, clear a path?" He wasn't certain that he was going to get an answer, but the dragon nodded.

"She's not going to be happy. And when River's not happy, I'm not happy. And when I'm not happy, well, worlds fall. This could be fatal, you know?"

The dragon emitted another puff of smoke and a slightly larger ball of fire.

The Doctor headed back to the town, tinkering with the sonic screwdriver as he went and muttering to himself. "Wait, did I say River? Why would I say River? I'm with Hermione." He thought about the way he had felt with his wife and the way he felt with Hermione. He realized his feelings weren't only the same, but that he just fell into these impossible situations with her. Yes, he had taught Amy a bit about the TARDIS, but not the way he had Hermione. Not even Rose, Sarah Jane or Romana had touched him in the same way.

"Well, if the Fates and that wonderful, stubborn, crazy woman I married conspired to give me some time together, I'm not letting it go to waste," he declared his intentions to the sky and started running. He needed to make sure Hermione could get away from her captors.

As he headed back into town, zapping a doorway or gate here or there with the now functional screwdriver, the dragon stuck her nose into the slightly open door of the TARDIS.

She was fascinated by the lights, she tasted the sofa and dove right into the pool. When she got out and started looking for a bed, the TARDIS opened up a nice new part that looked just like a cave, and the dragon settled down for the night.

"Who are you?" Hermione demanded, once she had pulled out and replicated all one hundred thirty-four volumes she had with her that said anything about wand lore.

Hermione glared at the room around her. She was sitting in an old-fashioned living room that looked quite a bit like the one in Grimmauld books had been sent off to someone somewhere. Hermione was losing patience. She had drunk tea and eaten biscuits. She had tried to count the flowers on the wallpaper. That only took up about forty-five minutes. She waited and waited for the woman to answer. Instead, the woman just stared at her, as though she wanted to see right through her. She had just about given up hope, when she got a response.

"The Archivist, Child of Prophecy. I've already told you."

"Yes, I know that. But you really remind me of someone I didn't like, even though I'm pretty certain she died without having any children," Hermione said.

"I am not directly related to Bellatrix Lestrange," the woman said. "Thank you for the books. Some of our children are not able to do the wandless magic the rest of us can, and we don't want to leave them behind in their classes. We aren't heartless."

"Stay out of my head!" demanded Hermione, horrified that the Archivist answered her every thought. "I've given you what you've asked for, now let me go!"

They stared at each other for a while. A long while. It had been seven hours since Hermione had been taken captive.

The woman's mirror vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out and spoke quietly to the person who had called her. She turned to Hermione, "Fine. You can go. But don't be surprised if there are more of us who want to keep you here. You are a font of knowledge, after all." She set up a personal shield as she spoke.

Hermione shook her head, pulled out her wand and blasted the door. She then knocked the furniture and bookshelves behind her and started running. She was trying to buy herself some time. She wished she could have kept the books from the crazy woman, but this world did seem to need them.

She looked over her shoulder and saw a crowd starting to gather to follow her. She realized as she was running that a way of escape had been cleared for her. She hoped it meant The Doctor was well.

When she heard voices behind her, she began to run, heading for the camouflaged TARDIS which she remembered was located near a dragon's cave. She certainly hoped the dragon was elsewhere. She was starting to think she was never going to get away when she heard a very familiar voice.

"C'mon, Hermione, you can make it!" yelled the Doctor.

"If I do make it, you are going to pay, Sweetie!" she hollered back, panting.

Just as the horde of torch-wielding maniacs began to get close enough to snare her in their sphere of magic, she reached the time machine. The Doctor held the door open for her.

She let him pull her in. Together they shut the door, and thankfully the magic users on the planet were unable to overcome the technology of the Time-Lord.

The TARDIS disappeared from the midst of the mob, a swirl of color and light and sound.

Inside, the Doctor put his arms around Hermione and hugged her close.

She followed her instinct and reached up to kiss him. He started to pull away, when something in his demeanor changed, and instead of pulling away, he pulled her closer, kissing her deeply.

Hermione was thrilled to the tips of her toes. Here were the fireworks she had been promised by every romantic novel she had ever secretly read. She showed no fear as he began to disrobe the both of them, moving her toward the bedroom she hadn't been certain he had.

"Everyone needs a place of their own, darling. I'm sure the TARDIS will give us a bed," he said.

Leaving behind a trail of clothing, they made it to the room, which was far more lush than Hermione expected. There was a big bed in the middle surrounded by thick carpets and wonderful wood furniture. As Hermione started to look around, she was distracted by his hands on her bare skin. She was certain she saw sparks.

"Don't worry about that, love. Nothing unusual, I promise," he said.

"You get sparks often?" she asked, then giggled at his dumbfounded expression. She shook her head, then reached up to kiss him again.

They fell on the bed, lost in each other. There were fireworks, and sparks certainly did fly.

In the quiet aftermath, cuddled in the bed, a great roar was heard.

Hermione turned to the Doctor, "Was that the dragon?"


	5. Chapter 5

"Are you sure she's coming, Headmaster?" Harry was concerned.

"Have you ever known her to abandon her friends, Potter?" Severus raised an eyebrow. "She'll be here."

Harry paced nervously. He had wanted Hermione to be godmother to Lily Luna. Severus had promised she would come, but he still worried. She had disappeared shortly after she said she was going to Australia to retrieve her parents, and except for some notes, all he knew was that she had made a career for herself curse-breaking, even if she now called it archaeology.

There was a flash of light accompanied by strange noises, and then Hermione was walking over the crest of the hill from the Black Lake, jauntily waving at someone and calling out, "I'll be fine, sweetie. Pick me up in a week or so, or I will find my way elsewhen!"

She was wearing buff colored leather pants, with a cross hip holster for some sort of pistol. Her wand was strapped to her thigh, and she looked very well, indeed. Her curls, although no longer frizzy, were still one of the first things you noticed. And somehow, her eyes looked blue.

Bill jumped up when he realized who was walking up the hill. "Doctor Song! Hermione, when did you become Doctor Song?"

"I've always been, darling. I was adopted. My real family were Amy Pond and Rory Williams. I was born Melody Pond, but a lovely native woman made me a piece of embroidery as a lucky charm when I was a baby. The translation was River Song. It stuck," she explained.

Arthur smiled. "Rory Williams, dear? My nephew?"

"Exactly!" Hermione/River grinned. "Grandda Brian says hello, by the way."

Ron looked extremely confused. He remained confused throughout the naming ceremony, and when his wife and Hermione giggled about soul mates, and he was still confused when she left by hopping into a random box that appeared and disappeared in a great swirl of light and noise.

The meaning of the exchange between her and his father clicked only the next Sunday. In the middle of the roast, Ron stood up and yelled, "You mean to tell me that Hermione and me are cousins?"

When he didn't get any response from his parents other than a smug smile, he fainted into his potatoes.

Arthur turned to Molly. "Just imagine if they had managed more than a kiss?"

Molly just laughed and smacked him on the shoulder. "I always knew that girl was family."

Hermione and the Doctor were sitting in the doorway of the TARDIS, watching the stars spin by. She was snuggled in close, listening to his dual heart beats, and he was idly playing with her hair. The dragon was in its cave, contentedly sighing over the shiny bits of metal the TARDIS has provided for it.

"I love you, you know. Throughout eternity, wars, and everything else the world could throw at us." Her quiet words touched him like no other.

"This is why you know my name. I love you, too."


End file.
